things for pinning and magnetizing

[Primarch]

And let me just add my opinion about paper clips as pins... THEY SUCK not only do they beat the hell out of your clippers but they are very hard to bend.

Funnily, I dont want the pins I put into a model to bend. Thats kind of the point really. Bendy pins wouldn't hold stuff in place.

[Mike the Pike]

@The Madmiral: You really need to head to the gym if you can't bend a paperclip mate

If you use model clippers, designed to clip plastic parts, to clip metal parts then you are asking for trouble IMHO. You can either get a half-decent pair from your DIY store or for a few hundred yen or get a throw-away pair from the 100yen store.

@M_i_J: You should stop going to the gym, if you are breaking drill bits like that

I have drilled dozens if not hundreds of holes and have never had one break on me. I have even pinned the sword blades on 15 DE Executioners which is said by some to be the 'pin'-nacle of pinning

I try not to use the BP method i.e. drill until she blows. Instead, slow and steady wins the race. Drill a little, stop, reverse your action and slowly take the bit out, drill a little bit more, rinse, repeat.

[me_in_japan]

I generally break my drill bits when its 2am, im tired, and am drilling holes in honking great chunks of metal e.g. the deathjack. Ive never had a problem with pinning metal or plasics.

btw, does anyone else have huge problems with things rusting? saws, knives, and, relevantly, drill bits? I find that about 2~3 days after you take it out of the packaging its got a patina of discoloration, and with a coupla weeks its just straight up rusty. What to do about this? (i do try not to touch metal stuff with my fingers, but it doesnt seem to make a difference.)

also, how deep do you drill? Obviously, things differ, but for a standard 32mm arm-to-shoulder pin, I'd go about 4~5mm into the shoulder and as deep into the arm as I can without coming out the other side. For a bigger thing like a dragon wing I'd go up to 1cm into the main body, and again, as far as poss into the wing. I find if I dont do this, things just fall off. Maybe I need better glue? (if so, what...?)

[Primarch]

btw, does anyone else have huge problems with things rusting? saws, knives, and, relevantly, drill bits? I find that about 2~3 days after you take it out of the packaging its got a patina of discoloration, and with a coupla weeks its just straight up rusty...

I have never had an issue with rust. I have drill bits, files and hobby knives that are covered in paint, glue and other hobby related materials, but not rust.
Are you leaving them standing in water or something?

As for the "how deep do you drill" question, as deep as possible. In the case of my sentinels (the legs ALWAYS snap off), I put one pin right through the body and connected a leg to either end.

[Admiral-Badruck]

After a quick look most of my tools are a bit rusty. They really look bad... The sad thing is I have never payed much attention to it. Guess that is the ork in me.

[Mike the Pike]

No rust here either. What are you guys doing to your tools?
If it's a serious problem, how about popping a leftover dry sachet, you know the ones you get in packs of cookies etc that say do not eat, in your toolbox?

[The Other Dave]

Oil is the traditional rust-inhibitor. "Keep your tools well-oiled" - it's a raunchy euphemism and good advice!

[me_in_japan]

@mike and ToD - good advice, chaps. i may do just that. (altho I think its too late for my saw, sadly...)

[Mike the Pike]

@M_i_J: Don't throw it away just yet mate(ya might hit someone)
There are a few rust-away type products available at your local DIY store that might do the help clean up your saw. Mind you, it doesn't look too bad from your photo. If it's just a little surface corrosion then I suggest cleaning it with a bit of oil and/or keep it extra dry.

[Admiral-Badruck]

Mike is right... wow I though I would never get to say that..

you can also use a bit of lemon juice if you like...